S6000fd movie mode or cheap camcorder?

[barristan]

I am trying to decide if I should get the S6000fd or a cheap camcorder. I need it to record my son's wrestling season. If I get the camcorder I will still end up needing a camera eventually. From what I have seen the cheap camcorder video aren't very impressive. Or should I look into a Canon S3 or S5 for better movie mode. The thing is the lighting in gyms aren't the best. My old A60 and my wife's old Fuji Z3 or Z1 didn't give very good results last year.
Thanks

[leaftye]

First off, you only get about 15 minutes of video for every GB of memory you have. Given those memory requirements, I wouldn't get the S6000fd for video. The S6000fd uses xD flash cards, and those just aren't big enough to really be practical--they're limited to 2GB. The S700 also uses SD flash cards, and those are available in sizes up to 4GB, and may get even bigger....and I believe it also accepts SDHC, which means you can get a 8GB card. The S9000 uses xD and CompactFlash. You get CF cards up to 16GB, but even a 8GB card is available for less than $60. Both the S700 and S9000 allow you to install two different types of cards at the same time, so that may help you go a little bit longer before stopping to swap out memory cards. Both the S700 and S9000 also allow you to zoom while shooting video, however the zooming on the S9000 is done by hand, so it'll be quieter.

[barristan]

How does the 9000 or 9100 compare to the S6000 for image quality or low light performance?

[leaftye]

People say the S9000 is more noisy in low light, but I think that's because of the extra megapixels, which you should be able to eliminate in Photoshop. I'm a newbie though, so I'm just guessing based on what I've read, and not my own experiences...yet.

[P_Schneider]

Well you can actually kill 2 birds with 1 stone here with the s6k. Since these are wrestling matches you wont be shooting for more than 1/2 hour at a crack so you would just need a supply of xd chips to cover each time he is out there. The camera does produce decent video even at low light and the manual zoom works in video mode which not a lot of other cameras can do. For shooting over 1/2 hour at a time it probably would not be practical due to the card limitations stated above. Btw the 1/2 time limit is based on a 640x480 you double that by shooting at 320x240 mode, the drawback is loss of image quality of course.

[tim11]

...but for a very good reason that I have used it occasionally and like it a lot. Like Paul already said the video quality is very good even in lowlight. Without saying it is the most capable non DSLR for indoors for still shots.

The sticking point seems to be the 30 minutes limitation for video.
However, no wrestling round will last more than a few minutes at a time; right? Selected recording will also save you hours of editing later on. Others may think it inconvenience but personally, I'd use two 2GB instead of one 4GB for I don't like to put 'all the eggs in one basket'. And the price difference between SD and XD card has narrowed any way.

[barristan]

You guys are absolutely correct, wrestling matches don't last more than 10 minutes or so. At most you get 3 or 4 matches per tournament, so two 2GB cards will be plenty.
I'm ordering the S6000fd now. It's also at least $150 cheaper than the 9100.
Thanks

[davecarter]

one thing to bear in mind...

you will hear the s6x00fd focussing motor operating most of the time on movie recordings... like a rumbling/clicking sound which you may find annoying. A camcorder won't do this as it's designed for audio & video recording, rather than a digicam which is just doing it as a fun extra. Some cheaper p&s cameras don't refocus during movie mode so you might be better off with a simpler camera.